Electric hair drier



May 21, 1968 M. M. A. TROUILHET 3,383,779

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ELECTRIC HAIR DRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1967 INVENTOD:

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ELECTRIC HAIR DRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 18, 1967 'NVENTOR:

EV: 0001M 3 Arroausys United States Patent O 3 Claims. (Ci. 34-100) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A light electric hair drier for domestic use having a frusto-conical, helmet forming, thin lateral wall closed at one end with a supporting plate of moulded synthetic material and provided with an inwardly extending tubular central portion.

The motor of the fan is mounted within the central tubular portion while the heating resistances are carried by metallic strips embedded in the tubular portion and outwardly projecting therefrom.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 398,668, filed September 23, 1964, now Patent No. 3,343,275.

This invention relates to an electric hair-drier of the type comprising at least one electrical heating-resistance, an electric fan and a helmet.

It may be broadly stated that there are two general types of driers of this character used at the present time, namely, driers for professional use and driers for domestic use.

The driers for professional use are very heavy, very cumbersome and expensive.

The known electric hair-driers for domestic use are reproductions, although of more small dimensions, less elaborate and less heavy, of apparatuses for professional use. However, the various attempts heretofore proposed in this field have felt chiefly for the cost of a higher rating serial production. More particularly, the cost of workmanship involved by the mounting operations of mechanical and electrical components is prohibitive. The hair-drier hoods heretofore known are all in fact of bowl-shaped configuration with the fan and the motor disposed in the innermost part of the bowl-shaped hood, a part of very difficult access. Other elements such as the heating resistances are secured on supports which are themselves mounted on the inner side of the lateral wall of the helmet. The result of these features is several tedious individual mounting operations and therefore a prohibitive cost of workmanship. Moreover, such hair-driers remain rather heavy, thus involving a problem for their hanging. 50

The main object of the present invention is to avoid all these drawbacks by providing a hair-drier of very simplified and light construction.

The apparatus according to this invention is remarkable notably in that it comprises a helmet forming member, in the form of a substantially frusto-conical lateral wall open at both ends and an insulating moulded support member mounted in said helmet forming member at one end thereof, said support member comprising a substantially fiat plate forming an upper grid for closing said helmet and a depending substantially tubular central portion in which are embedded outwardly projecting metallic strips carrying the heating resistances.

It may be pointed out that the assembly comprising the grid forming plate and the tubular central portion carrying the resistances is obtained by one single moulding operation. Moreover, this mode of constructon avoids the 3,383,779 Patented May 21, 1968 use of heavy and cumbersome insulator means withstanding to high temperatures such as porcelain or the like.

According to another feature of this invention, the fan and the motor of the apparatus are secured to said moulded support member in the inner space defined between said upper grid and said lateral wall of the helmet.

Thus, to perform the mounting of the components, the support member has just to be laid down on a working table, all the electrical and mechanical components of the apparatus having then to be attached to the same side of the support member. The assembling of the hood is then achieved by securing at the upper end of the frusto conical wall of the helmet, this flat support member carrying all the electrical and mechanical components.

In a preferred embodiment of this hair-drier, the motor is secured within said tubular central portion.

Accordingly to a complementary feature of this invention, said frustro-conical wall comprises brackets integrally formed with the inner face of said wall, each of said brackets having a lug portion for securing means of said support member to said helmet forming member.

Still in accordance with a further characteristic of this invention, the hair-drier comprises a protection grid provided with blades secured at right angles thereto, each of said brackets having further a channel portion, said grid being secured inside said helmet forming member in front of said support forming plate by forcefitting engagement of said blades into corresponding said channel portions.

The brackets, with their channel portions longitudinally extending inside the hood along a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the frusto-conical wall constitutes a stiffening structure which provides a sturdy assembly, despite the weak rigidity of the thin wall in moulded material which constitutes this helmet.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of the hair-drier of this invention. In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section with parts broken away, showing an apparatus constructed according to the teachings of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view from beneath, also with parts broken away, of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section view taken upon the line III- III of FIG. 4 showing on a larger scale a detail of the mounting of the apparatus shown in FIGURES l and 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view as indicated by the line IV-IV of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view with parts broken away, showing on larger scale a support according to a specific form of embodiment of the invention.

In the typical form of embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in FIGURES l and 2 of the drawings, an electric hair-drier constructed according to the principles of this invention consists essentially of two sections: a tubular member 1 open at both ends, constituting the helmet proper, and a support 2 on which the mechanical and electrical component elements of the apparatus are secured. These elements comprise chiefly heating resistances 3, 4, a fan 5, a fan driving motor 6, a switch 7 having ON and OFF positions, and a thermostat 8 for limiting the maximum temperature of operation of the apparatus.

On the other hand, a protection grid 9, separating the operative elements of the apparatus from the lower portion of the helmet adapted to be fitted on the users head, is provided.

The mounting of the apparatus comprising the component elements broadly set forth hereinabove is particularly simple and consists in introducing the support 2 into the tubular member 1 and in securing the former in the latter in any suitable manner, for example as described presently. Then the protection grid 9 also secured on the tubular member 1 is fitted under said elements.

In the example illustrated the support 2 comprises essentially an annular substantially fiat portion It and a cylindrical central portion 11 solid with said portion 10. The annular portion It? consists for example of flat sectors 10a, radial ribs 1%, four stitfening ribs 10c and circular ribs lltld, whereby a satisfactory strength and rigidity is imparted to the assembly while permitting a proper air flow through the bottom of the apparatus.

The support 2 is secured in the tubular member I as shown in detail in FIGURES 3 and 4 by means of four screws 12 and four nuts 13, the former extending through holes formed in the ribs llt c of said annular portion It and in registering holes formed in inner bosses or lugs 14 rigid or formed integrally with said tubular member I.

FIGURES 1, 3 and 4 show clearly the manner in which the protection grid 9 is secured in the tubular member I by means of four blades, for example in the form of metal strips 15 force fitted in channels 16 formed integrally with the tubular member 1. These figures also show that these channels 16, in a form of channel portions of brackets 26 integral with the member 1, these brackets 26 having upper lug portions 14, are coincident with the lugs or bosses 14, thus imparting a greater rigidity to the mounting of said support 2.

FIGURES 1 and 2 illustrate diagrammatically the heating resistances 3, 4- carried by the metal arms 17, 13 embedded by moulding in their support 11.

Preferably, the helmet-forming tubular member 1, plate 2 and protection grid 9 are moulded from suitable thermosetting or like plastic material.

FIGURE 1 shows diagrammatically in the form of a pair of screws 18, the means for suspending the electromotor 6 in the cylindrical portion 11. Ct course, any other suitable mounting, notably an elastic mounting, may be resorted to if desired.

There further is shown in FIGURE 1 the sectional view of a ring 19 disposed externally of the tubular member 1 for setting the helmet in any desired angular position.

The electrical circuit means necessary for energizing the electrical component elements are shown in diagrammatic form in FIGURE 2. The feed current supplied through the wire 2t) from the mains is distributed by means of a split fitting 21. attached on the flat portion 19a. The electrical circuit is as follows: in one direction, the current flows successively through the switch 7 secured on the plate 10a for example by means of two screws 23; the switch 7 is manually actuated upon pulling a cord 7a; then the current flows through resistances 3, 4 adapted to be connected in series or in parallel, then through the bimetallicstrip thermostat 2S, and finally through the fan driving electromotor 6, before returning to the split fitting 21 closing the electrical circuit.

In FIGURE 1, the arrows illustrate the air flow through the apparatus, and in FIGURE 2, the arrow 7 designates the direction of rotation of the fan.

It is clear that the mounting and manufacture of the apparatus described hereinabove are very easy.

Other features referred to hereinafter make the operation of the apparatus particularly convenient and reliable.

In FIGURE 5, there is shown on a larger scale with parts broken away a main support for the component elements of the apparatus; in this form of embodiment the support consists of a perforated annular plate formed with ribs and a cylindrical central portion and corresponding substantially to the support 2 described in connection with FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings.

By properly calculating the length of said wire-supporting metal arms 17, 18 no over-heating of the support 2 can take place under normal operating conditions. Thus, the mounting of the electrical resistances is greatly facilitated and the resulting assembly is particularly light in weight.

In this FIGURE 5, the shoulder 11a engageable by the outer casing of the electromotor 6 of FIGURE 1 is clearly visible, as well as the cylindrical central portion 11, which, in the form of embodiment illustrated in FIG- URE l, is covered at its upper portion by a central disc 33.

Of course may modifications and variations may be brought to the form of embodiment shown and described herein.

Thus, the support 2, may also be secured on the tubular member 1 for example by means of four screws 12 engaging four nuts (not shown) embedded in the bosses or lugs 14.

What I claim is:

I. An electric hair-drier comprising a moulded helmet forming member in the form of a substantially frustoconical lateral wall open at both ends and a moulded substantially fiat brace and support-forming top plate inserted in said helmet forming member at one end thereof, heating resistances, a fan and a motor of the apparatus being attached to one side of said plate, said side being located toward the inner space defined by said lateral wall, said plate being provided with an integral, depending, inwardly extending tubular portion in which said motor is secured and on which are embedded outwardly projecting metallic strips carrying said heating resistances.

2. An electric hair drier according to claim 1 wherein said frusto-conical wall comprises brackets integrally formed with the inner face of said wall, each said bracket having lug portion for abutment and securing means of said support member to said helmet forming member.

3. An electric hair-drier according to claim 2, comprising a protection grid provided with blades secured at right angle thereto, each said bracket having further a channel portion, said grid being secured inside said helmet forming member in front of said support forming plate by forcefitting engagement of said blades into corresponding said channel portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,809,458 6/1931 VVahl 2l9366 XR 2,133,078 10/1933 Carter 34-100 2,303,447 12/1942 Fay et a1. 219-366 XR 2,689,906 9/1954 Corbett 219366 XR 3,259,996 7/1966 Hull et a1 34-225 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 1,006,593 4/1957 Germany.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner. A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner. 

